At a time when the Congress leadership at the Centre is expected to address the Telangana statehood issue, the water rows attached to Polavaram, Krishna Delta, Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam projects are providing sufficient fodder to politicians belonging to all the three regions who are linking it to division of state. Although state government, in principle, has agreed to construct Polavaram Multipurpose Dam with the “designs approved by Central Water Commission”, the leaders of various political parties, including the Congress from Telangana region, are vehemently opposing it and instead suggesting to the government to change the designs as proposed by retired engineering-in-chief T. Hanumantha Rao.
The Centre has cleared Polavaram project designs and also approved the rehabilitation and resettlement package for the project-affected people. At a stage when only environmental clearance for the project is pending, politicians from Telangana region are objecting to the government moving ahead with the works without addressing the submergence in Telangana region.
Union tribal welfare minister Kishore Chandra Deo too has said that unless the state government changes the designs and adopts an alternative proposal the Centre will not grant environmental clearances. Pleas challenging the project the construction are pending with the SC. However, the CM has said the Polavaram project will be taken up with the ‘approved designs' only and no changes will be considered at this stage. Ironically, the monsoon has compounded the issue.
There has been surplus inflow of water below Srir-am Sagar and throughout the Godavari River without significant flow into Sriram Sagar project which is dependent on water from Maharashtra. With the absence of any reservoir between Sriram Sagar and Cotton Barrage near Rajahmundry, a distance of 650 km, more than 4 lakh cusecs of the flood waters have flowed into sea daily in the past one week. Although this problem has existed for several decades, no concrete step has been taken by the government to harness the waters, except setting up of a few lift irrigation projects which are unable to function due to power scarcity. As for Krishna basin projects, leaders of the three regions want the government to maintain water levels to suit their requirements before taking up the state’s division issue.
These water rows, coming at a time when reports suggest that the Centre is likely to announce its decision on division of AP. are only adding fuel to the fire.